Bird Images

Since the demise of Aves, the FTP archive of ornithological images,
many of the pictures previously housed there have disappeared from the
electronic horizon. We offer a small assortment of images formerly found
there.

The thumbnail images are linked to larger versions of the pictures
(usually 20-30 K in size) which you can download.

Name : King Penguins, mature and immature

Latin Name: Aptenodytes patagonicus

Range : Antarctica, Falklands, Argentina & Chile

Notes : Breeds on subantarctic islands. Also in small numbers on Horn
Island in Chile, Staten Island in Argentina and in the Falkland Islands.
Wanders casually to the Straits of Magellan. Differs from Emperor Penguin
(Aptenodytes forsteri) in shape and colour of circular orange patch
at side of head.

Name : Gould's Petrel

Latin Name: Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera

Size : 30 cm. wingspan 71 cm.

Range : Rarely seen away from its breeding island; another subspecies,
(caledonica) nests in New Caledonia. Post breeding dispersal mainly into the
Tasman Sea and adjacent SW Pacific although stragglers have reached New
Zealand and even the Galapagos.

Notes : This bird breeds only on one island (Cabbage Tree Island) off the
coast of the State of New South Wales, Australia. Total number breeding
each year is about 140-150 pairs, of which 30-40 produce a fledgling
chick. Bird is endangered because of the sticky seeds of the native
Bird-Lime Tree (Pisonia umbellifera) which get caught up in the feathers
of the young and cause them to mat, incapacitating the bird and making it
easy prey for the local Ravens. Does not usually follow ships. Flight
recalling small shearwater with shallower flight peaks, but often adopts
erratic bat-like weaving, sprinting high over the ocean.

Name : Shy (or White-capped) Albatross

Latin Name : Diomeda cauta cauta

Range : Circumpolar (South Pole) Breeds in Tasmania and the Bass Strait area
of Australia and on Aukland Island in New Zealand. Found in the Southern
Ocean north to about 25 degrees South.

Notes : Breeds colonially on oceanic islands; follows ships and attends
trawlers. Its gracefull and effortless flight recalls that of the
Wandering Albatross. There are three subspecies of Shy Albatross: the
nominate form, the Salvin's Albatross (D. c. salvini) and Chatham
Island Albatoss(D. c. eremita).

Name : Andean Flamingo

Latin Name: Phoenicoparrus andinus

Size : 113+ cm

Range : From SW Peru south through Bolivia and portions of Chile and
Argentina.
Notes: Nests colonially on ground in conical nests built of mud. Voice is
loud and goose-like. They are wary and seldom allow a close approach. They
are found on highland salt lakes, descending in the winter to brakish
estuaries and coastal marshes. They feed on minute algae, molluscs and
diatoms.

Name : Red-tailed Tropicbird

Latin Name : Phaethon rubricauda

Range : Indian and Pacific Oceans

Notes : Dives with half folded wings to capture fish & squid. Mated pairs
have a characteristic hovering display flight. Nests on ground on atolls
or on coastal cliffs. More pelagic than other tropicbirds; often seen far
from land.

Range : Breeds in Alaska and across the Praires and Great Plains in Canada
and the United States. Winters in the pampas of central South America

Notes:This attractive bird of open grasslands was formerly shot in great
numbers for food and sport until it became very scarce. Now given
protection it has increased once again. It often flies with wings held
stiffly downcurved like a spotted Sandpiper, especially on its nesting
grounds.

Notes : One of the most brilliantly coloured birds of the Holarctic
region. Call a loud shrill penetrating 'cheee' or 'chikee'; song rarely
heard, a whistling trill. Lowland fresh water of all kinds, in winter also
on estuaries and sea coast; dives either from a perch or while hovering to
catch fish, aquatic insects and other small animals. Flight is fast and
consists of whirring wingbeats interrupted by brief glides. Nests in sand
or earth banks where it excavates a nest tunnel up to a meter long.

Notes : The only hummingbird breeding east of the Mississipi River. It
lays two eggs the size of peas in a nest of plant down held together with
spider silk. It is covered with lichen and placed in the fork of a tree,
usually in a forest clearing. They feed extensively on the nectar of
flowers. Insects and spiders also form a significant part of their diet.
With their remarkable powers of flight, hummingbirds are the only birds
which can fly backwards as well as hover in place.

Name : White Breasted Nuthatch

Latin Name : Sitta carolinensis

Size : 12 cm

Range : In many portions of southern Canada, throughout much of the United
States south through the central mountains of Mexico. Resident in most of
its range except for areas in central Saskatchewan and Alberta where it is
found only in the winter season.

Notes : Common in deciduous woodlands. Except for the white throat it
resembles a chickadee in plumage, though not in shape and actions. Call a
low yank-yank. Song consists of 5 to 15 low rapid notes given 6 to 15
times per minute.

Notes : Male. Common in hedgerows, wood margins, suberbs and desert
washes. Song is a repitition of loud slurred, whistles, 5-10 per minute.
This species, named after the red robes worn by Roman Catholic Cardinals,
has extended its range northeastward into Canada in recent decades.

Name : Evening Grosbeak

Latin Name: Coccothraustes vespertinus

Size : 20 cm

Range : North America

Notes : Locally abundant in conifers. Irregular in the southern part of
its range. Partial to sunflower seeds. Usually flies in loose flocks; note
the undulating flight. The most frequent call is a loud, House Sparrow
like chirp. This species formerly bred no further east than Manitoba, but
more food available at bird feeders may have enabled more birds to survive
the winter, and the species now breeds east to the Atlantic.

Name : Pine Siskin

Latin Name: Carduelis pinus

Size : 11-13 cm

Range : North America south into northern Mexico in winter.

Notes : Irregularly common in large flocks, especially in conifers. Its
distribution and population vary considerably from year to year depending
on the extent and distribution of the northern cone crop. In form and
actions they resemble goldfinches, with which they often flock. Tame. Its
wheezy voice is diagnostic.